title: Reply to the commentaries: Of course, we do not yet know what it is all about, but functional contextualism is a good place to start.
abstract: In this reply to the commentaries, we note several points of disagreement with Johnson and Greenman on theoretical and empirical grounds. We are particularly surprised by their assumption that attachment has already been established as the key mechanism of change in couple therapy, as our present findings do not support this idea. We also elaborate on Gurman's functional contextualist views and describe why IBCT may be a particularly helpful model for training new couple therapists in a contextualist way.
authors.affiliation: University of California.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sevier
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D019546:Couples Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment